Time Management

for your PhD

Gita Subrahmanyam
Matthew Conway
23 February 2010

Objectives of this session

To help you to better manage your time to
achieve both short- and long-term goals
To assist you to recognising the areas you
deem important so you can prioritise them
To make you aware of habits that aid or
deter you in achieving your goals
To encourage you to achieve a greater
work-life balance

Common time management issues

Do you feel guilty when you are not working?
Do you give up or feel demotivated if you do not
keep to your planned schedule?
Do you concentrate on the negatives i.e., what
you still have to do rather than what you have
done?
Do you recognise or reward yourself when you
have completed a task or been productive?
Have you tried to use any time management
techniques in planning your schedule? If so,
what were they?

Time management: is it possible?

Time may change me, but I can't change time
(David Bowie, Changes)
The challenge is not to manage time but to
manage ourselves.
The root of self-management lies is first defining
your values and goals.
You need to be flexible. Life can be
unpredictable.
Think about being efficient with things and
effective with people.

Activity 1: Time SWOT analysis of

previous weeks diary
Using the Activity 1 Time SWOT sheet, analyse
how you spent your time in the previous week

What strengths appear in your use of time?

What weaknesses appear?
Do any opportunities for improvement emerge?
Do any threats loom? Things that might get worse?

Bear in mind that you may not have acted

normally because you were keeping a diary
When youve finished, pick a partner and look
over your SWOT analyses. Do you see
similarities in the areas you wish to improve?

Time Management matrix

Quadrants in the TM matrix

QUADRANT 1: Prioritise tasks that fall here
according to their relative urgency.
QUADRANT 2: These tasks are most critical to
your success, and yet are commonly the most
neglected. You must plan time-slots for these.
QUADRANT 3: Assess the real importance of
these tasks and, if they must be done, do them
quickly to a good-enough standard.
QUADRANT 4: These activities are not central
to your success and are time-wasters. They can
be destructive to your future success. Check
yourself and resist the temptation to dwell here.

Using the TM matrix successfully

Spending the bulk of your time in Quadrant 2 will
ensure that Quadrants 1 and 3 dont engulf you.
Quadrant 1 tasks often result from neglecting
Quadrant 2 tasks which then become crises.
Perfecting Quadrant 3 tasks means less time is left
for Quadrant 2 tasks, which can cause problems.
Time spent in Quadrant 4 is usually results from an
inability to say NO or is a displacement activity.
Effective time management means stealing time
from Quadrants 3 and 4, and using it for Quadrant 2
tasks. This also results in a reduction of Quadrant 1
tasks, due to fewer spillover crises.

Activity 2: Time management matrix

and reflection of your patterns/habits
Using the Time Management matrix, map out
your previous weeks activities
In which quadrant have you spent the most
time? And the least?
Could you have stolen time from Quadrant 3 & 4
tasks to use on Quadrant 2 tasks?
In table groups, decide the ideal proportions of
time one should spend in each quadrant. Lets
compare views!

COFFEE/TEA BREAK!!!

Model PhD Project Plan

Years and Terms (with Summer Vacation as 4 th Term)
0.2

0.1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Envision
PhD and
structure
Develop
methods/
sources
Develop 1st
research
part/case
Develop
2nd
part/case
Develop 3rd
part/case
Write
Chapters,
edit and
revise

2
3

4
5

First full
draft
Final draft
Submission

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

5.1

5.2

Activity 3: Planning your PhD project

Consider the Model PhD Project Plan
handout (assumes 8 chapter structure)
Now use the Activity 3 handout to map out
your own research plan:
How far along are you in your research and in
the number of chapters drafted?
How will you remap the model based on your
thesis and your chapter structure?
Think about your planned timeline to complete
your PhD within the four-year time limit

Envisaging your long-term goals

Imagine that you have completed your PhD
what now?
Where would you like to be in four years time?
Write down your ideal scenarios as if they were
happening now.
For example:
PhD I have won a prize for my PhD work
Career I have a job at a top university or I am doing
good work for a development charity
Family I have a close relationship with my family
Friends I am loved and respected by my friends

You can have multiple scenarios (most people do)

Building towards your future career

What things, aside from your PhD, will you
need to do to realise your future vision?
For example, for your career:
Paid academic work teaching or research
inside or outside LSE
Journal sub-editing or research dissemination
activities
Part-time/temporary work for money
Voluntary work or internships for experience
Hobbies/extra-curricular activities

Activity 4:
Thinking about your future goals, use the Activity
4 worksheet to specify what tasks or activities
you will need to undertake to realise those goals.
Keep in mind your model PhD timeline, as well
as any additional career-building activities.
Also incorporate any life-enhancing, non-careerrelated tasks or commitments. Perhaps
allocating time to your friends/family? How about
your health/fitness? Also Quadrant 2 activities!
Now make a list of the core roles you inhabit or
would like to inhabit for each year

Using your roles to plan your time

By envisaging the future, you have been able to
specify your core roles
You can use these roles to help you to schedule
in activities on a weekly (or longer-term) basis
By being aware of the important roles you (want
to) play, you can ensure that you do all the
things that are important to you and your future
Tools, such as the Weekly Worksheet provided
in the The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People by Stephen Covey, can assist you

Time management tips 1

Keep your eye on the ball why are you doing a
PhD? Keep some kind of visual reminder near
your desk or in your wallet
Organise and execute around priorities. Decide
what is important to you and devote time in your
life to it.
It is no good working all the time if your personal
relationships are in disarray. Consider how your
goals affect other people are you being fair to
them?
Stop and smell the roses, at least sometimes!
Give yourself designated breaks, where you
decide not to work at least one full day per
week

Time management tips 2

Reward yourself when you have completed a
difficult task or spent time productively
Work somewhere different if your normal place
of work cannot provide you with a quiet situation
and protection from interruption
Inform other people of your planned time-slots
and schedules. Having a visible schedule is the
key to being able to protect these vital time-slots.
Allocate time for setbacks life is not predictable
Realise what time management techniques work
for you and use them again. If something
doesnt work, try a different approach